Caramelized Onions and Turnip Greens

Harvest season is almost over. A huge part of me is letting out a sigh of relief. Winter is a welcome break from all the growing and preserving that takes place during the summer and fall. It is a time of rest and a time to recharge. That said, we still have a few things growing in our garden such as some radishes and some turnips. Eventually I would like to have a winter garden. (I have been reading Caleb Warnock's Backyard Winter Gardening and daydreaming.) Last week, as we were cleaning up the garden and preparing most of it for winter, I decided to harvest and eat up some of the turnips I had planted in August.

Now what to do with the turnips? First I really wanted to use both the greens and the roots so my best friend Google provided a couple of options. I decided to try Add A Pinch's recipe for spicy greens. The only problem? I didn't have a pound of turnip greens. (Seriously, do you know how many pounds of turnips I would need in order to get a pounds worth of greens!)

Caramelized Onions and Turnip Greens

oil or bacon drippings for the pan
medium organic onion (I used white but a red onion would have been amazing)
2 oz. turnip greens
1 TBSP dark amber maple syrup
1/4 cup warm water

1. Chop or slice onions.
2. Heat pan with oil or bacon fat.
3. Add onions and allow to cook until soft.

4. While the onions are cooking, chop the turnip greens.
5. When onions are soft, add the greens and cook until almost fully wilted.

6. Mix maple syrup in the warm water and add to pan.
7. Cook to caramelize the onions and the water cooks off, about 1-3 minutes.
8. Serve hot.

The verdict? The onions were so sweet. You can see from the picture that the side dish, which we served as first course, was about a 50/50 mix, possibly a little heavier on the onion side. That said, this would have been awesome served with pork chops and mashed potatoes instead of as a first course. The kids liked it. I will definitely be making this again.

My next course was supposed to be a gratin but I ended up making it into a mashed potato and turnip side, with garlic, and it was so delicious that it alone is a reason to grow turnips.

Enjoy!